Dinner dress code- or lack of it??

[G'ma]

I am just back from the 12-13 sailing on the Ecstasy. This was my 4th Carnival cruise, all on Ecstacy, but my my overall 9th cruise. I was very surprised to see the lack of dress code in the dining room. I saw flip flops, tee shirts and probably the worst was ball caps being worn every night, even formal night. I asked my head waiter why this was being allowed and he stated that they dont want to upset anyone by telling them they can't dine wearing these things. I watched a lady walk into the dining room on our last night at sea in what I would call a swim suit cover up top, baggy cargo shorts and flip flops, the dining room managers were standing right up front hoping for gratuity envelopes, and I watched as they saw here they turned the other way to avoid her but let her walk right in a sit down.

Is this a Texas thing or is this happenning throughout Carnival??

We are planning another crusie and if its just a Texas thing we may try another Carnival cruise of of Florida.

We sailed on Voyager last March and I never noiced this issue at all, in fact I witnessed them turning some folks away that were not dressed properly.

I am not someone who demands coat and ties but when I sit down for dinner I know enough to take off my ball cap!!

 

Those durned Clampetts are everywhere....

[TMWTim]

People actually won't sail Carnival because they heard some people don't dress-up????

 

The world is becoming a better place every day!

 

As for us, we will dress up on FORMAL nights and I will be in Dockers/tie any other NIGHT in the dining room. As for anyone else, wear what you want! Regardless, we will all party on the Roulette after dinner. It's all good!

 

Why oh why do people continue to worry about others? We are there to have a good time and if dressing down is cool with you then it is cool with me as well!

 

*for the record, my wife makes me dress up. My wife is the best wife in the world. (just in case she checks this thread)

 

Seriously, wear what you want. I prefer to dress up on FORMAL night as it keeps with the tradition of sailing on a passenger ship and I also look really good:eek:. However, for those that don't dress up might mean they barely had enough to book the tickets, among a million other things. Stop judging them. Have a great cruise and worry about yourself, not others.

[Chigirlcruzin]

 

Seriously, wear what you want. I prefer to dress up on FORMAL night as it keeps with the tradition of sailing on a passenger ship and I also look really good:eek:. However, for those that don't dress up might mean they barely had enough to book the tickets, among a million other things. Stop judging them. Have a great cruise and worry about yourself, not others.

 

 

If somebody is not dressed up because they can barely afford the tickets, they have no business on the cruise and are part of why our country is in the economic situation it's in.

 

I will never for the life of me understand why people book a vacation with a dress code and then completely flaunt it. And we're not talking a stringent dress code here. We're talking Dockers, jeans, polos, etc. No holey clothes, clean, no ball caps, etc. It's not that hard. All ya gotta do is look presentable. If you want to look like you just rolled in from the pool/beach, fine, do it on Lido.

[CruiseHealing]

Why do Americans worry so much about what other people do? I did not spend thousands of hard earned dollars so I can worry about others and their choice of attire. I care very little about impressing others and less about them trying to impress me. If a woman wears a swimsuit or a man a ball cap in the dining room how does that affect my meal or the time with my family? Please be more concerned about yourself and how you raise your children. If you and your kids are obeying the rules that are set that is what important.

 

I do have one funny dining room story. A few years back my DW and i were at table with two couples. We got to dinner a little late and the others were already there talking. Both couples were trying to impress the other one with there careers and job experiences. One couple told us he was some VP for Walmart while his wife was a lawyer for the company. They talked about how much they worked and that they needed time away. The other couple were both busy trial lawyers. My wife and I looked at each other I mouthed the word "Toppers". That is our code for people who spend their time trying to impress others. Finally the guy from Walmart asked what I did for a living I looked at him and told him I operated a weed wacker for a mowing service. And that sometime next year I should get promoted to a riding lawn mower. They never said another word to us the rest of the night. If fact the next night the two couples moved to different table in dining room and we had the table of six to ourselves the rest of the cruise. Just so you know I do not work for a lawn mowing service. Although a job with little responsibilty sounds good right about now.

[Chat Noir]

... told him I operated a weed wacker for a mowing service. And that sometime next year I should get promoted to a riding lawn mower.

 

:D That is funny! What a wonderful table we had last week. No one trying to outdo each other, and I'll bet not one of us could say right now what another tablemate was wearing.... except maybe spouses.

[MTinGA]

I do not really mind the "dressing down" in the dining room. As long as people are clean and covered. I would draw the line at bathing suits cover ups or bathrobes.

 

I have always hated when people wear their bathrobes around the ship. I do not know why, just a pet peeve.

 

I returned 2 weeks ago from Miracle and the thing that got my blood pressure up was the people who came in late- some over an hour. There was one couple who came in as we were leaving one night and wanted to be served. I mean come on...the waiters have been working all day and want to finish up. I really wanted to tell them to get their butts upstairs if they cannot make it 45 minutes late like everyone else! Just made me mad.

[Chigirlcruzin]

 

I do have one funny dining room story. A few years back my DW and i were at table with two couples. We got to dinner a little late and the others were already there talking. Both couples were trying to impress the other one with there careers and job experiences. One couple told us he was some VP for Walmart while his wife was a lawyer for the company. They talked about how much they worked and that they needed time away. The other couple were both busy trial lawyers. My wife and I looked at each other I mouthed the word "Toppers". That is our code for people who spend their time trying to impress others. Finally the guy from Walmart asked what I did for a living I looked at him and told him I operated a weed wacker for a mowing service. And that sometime next year I should get promoted to a riding lawn mower. They never said another word to us the rest of the night. If fact the next night the two couples moved to different table in dining room and we had the table of six to ourselves the rest of the cruise. Just so you know I do not work for a lawn mowing service. Although a job with little responsibilty sounds good right about now.

 

 

I would have asked to be moved too. Asking what someone does is simple, basic conversation with people you don't know. And if someone has an impressive job, are they supposed to lie or downgrade? Why would you say they were trying to "top" each other? Is an attorney supposed to say they're a paralegal so as not to offend? Was the Wal-Mart guy supposed to say he was a cashier? I work for a huge retail chain (not Wal-Mart). If I just say I work at x, I'm asked what I do. According to you, I'm a topper by clarifying what I do. Sorry, I worked hard, and I'm not going to downplay it when asked about my job.

 

Some people need to get over their inferiority complexes:rolleyes:

[CruiseHealing]

I guess you miss the overall point. These two couples were busy one up'ing each other. Mine is bigger, better and faster than yours. I go on vacation to get away from work. This does not mean I am not proud of what I do and that I also work hard. I just do not want to talk about it on vacation. In fact, I learned that lesson on a previous cruise. I happened to mention to a guy at a wine tasting session what company I worked for and what I did. All he wanted to do was talk about the company and work. It was like he was stalking us the rest of the cruise. My DW told me never to mention the company nor my position again on vacation. And I have no problem obeying that command.

 

I also guess you have never met anyone that likes to play the topper game. You tell people you like to ski, they tell you about their ski trip to Colorado. You tell them about your car accident, they will tell you about a firey truck crash. This is boring conversation. There is more to talk about, like "Can you believe that guy over their has his baseball cap on in the dining room" or "I can not believe that guy is not wearing a tie"

 

I am glad you can tell someone what you do for a living and that you are proud of your hard work, but you know I bet I can top it. But then again I don't because it becomes a boring conversation.

 

Finally, if you knew me you would know that I have no inferiority complex. I just do not like wearing anything on my sleeves.

[LemurCat]

On the second formal night, a lady walked past our table wearing holy jeans.

 

Were they blessed by that minister from the other thread? :p

[CPHS]

GEE how sad...Judging a whole cruise line because some Bozo wore a baseball cap in the dining room..:rolleyes:..

Boy I am glad you were not sitting at our table..We wore jeans...:p

Me too. I know the ecomomy is bad in California but I would hope you could pull together a pair of dockers and a golf shirt. I am not talking about formal dress but a least understand common. I honestly dont know why people dont understand this.

[Kurbanfan]

Me too. I know the ecomomy is bad in California but I would hope you could pull together a pair of dockers and a golf shirt. I am not talking about formal dress but a least understand common. I honestly dont know why people dont understand this.

 

Jeans are allowed and have been for a long time in the dining room.......guess what:confused: They even mention it on their suggested dress code now;)

[Kurbanfan]

I guess you miss the overall point. These two couples were busy one up'ing each other. Mine is bigger, better and faster than yours. I go on vacation to get away from work. This does not mean I am not proud of what I do and that I also work hard. I just do not want to talk about it on vacation. In fact, I learned that lesson on a previous cruise. I happened to mention to a guy at a wine tasting session what company I worked for and what I did. All he wanted to do was talk about the company and work. It was like he was stalking us the rest of the cruise. My DW told me never to mention the company nor my position again on vacation. And I have no problem obeying that command.

 

I also guess you have never met anyone that likes to play the topper game. You tell people you like to ski, they tell you about their ski trip to Colorado. You tell them about your car accident, they will tell you about a firey truck crash. This is boring conversation. There is more to talk about, like "Can you believe that guy over their has his baseball cap on in the dining room" or "I can not believe that guy is not wearing a tie"

 

I am glad you can tell someone what you do for a living and that you are proud of your hard work, but you know I bet I can top it. But then again I don't because it becomes a boring conversation.

 

Finally, if you knew me you would know that I have no inferiority complex. I just do not like wearing anything on my sleeves.

 

Oh you don't know how much I agree with you:)

[Georgiagolfer]

Finally the guy from Walmart asked what I did for a living I looked at him and told him I operated a weed wacker for a mowing service. And that sometime next year I should get promoted to a riding lawn mower. They never said another word to us the rest of the night. If fact the next night the two couples moved to different table in dining room and we had the table of six to ourselves the rest of the cruise. Just so you know I do not work for a lawn mowing service. Although a job with little responsibilty sounds good right about now.

 

Good for you CruiseHealing.:D I would have never asked to be moved from your table. At least (although you admitted this wasn't true) you worked hard and deserved the vacation as much as me and my DW. For someone to go to another table for this reason,:confused: well, I don't want to sit with them anyway. They are the type who stumble over chairs and other objects because their nose is so high in the air they can't see where they are going.

[canuk15]

I am just back from the 12-13 sailing on the Ecstasy. This was my 4th Carnival cruise, all on Ecstacy, but my my overall 9th cruise. I was very surprised to see the lack of dress code in the dining room. I saw flip flops, tee shirts and probably the worst was ball caps being worn every night, even formal night. I asked my head waiter why this was being allowed and he stated that they dont want to upset anyone by telling them they can't dine wearing these things. I watched a lady walk into the dining room on our last night at sea in what I would call a swim suit cover up top, baggy cargo shorts and flip flops, the dining room managers were standing right up front hoping for gratuity envelopes, and I watched as they saw here they turned the other way to avoid her but let her walk right in a sit down.

Is this a Texas thing or is this happenning throughout Carnival??

We are planning another crusie and if its just a Texas thing we may try another Carnival cruise of of Florida.

We sailed on Voyager last March and I never noiced this issue at all, in fact I witnessed them turning some folks away that were not dressed properly.

I am not someone who demands coat and ties but when I sit down for dinner I know enough to take off my ball cap!!

When i'm paying i will wear what i want/ when i want period!

[LemurCat]

When i'm paying i will wear what i want/ when i want period!

 

Awesome. You sound like real nice guy to hang out with. I'm sure you're just a charmer with the ladies too.

[zqvol]

delete

[zqvol]

Just a heads up to all who think that the dress is bad on a cruise.

 

I have a secret.

 

Go to your local mall and see what the slobs wear there. Better yet go to your local community college or a four year university, though it is not quiet as bad there yet, same situation.

 

Ragged jeans are common. Too tight "T" shirts with inappropriate logos. Clothes that don't fit. Exposed midriffs. I can go on and on but you get my drift. Females dressing like they are on a street corner, and males looking like they are straight from the ghetto.

 

The bottom line is that a lot (not all there are some that have figured it out) people under the age of 30 have no idea how to dress. IMO it is because their parent were afraid to teach them for fear that some do gooder would turn them in as abusive parents. The end result is that the inmates are running the asylum.

 

It is not going to get better until society as a whole says enough is enough and a new generation is taught the right way to do things.

[zqvol]

I would have asked to be moved too. Asking what someone does is simple, basic conversation with people you don't know. And if someone has an impressive job, are they supposed to lie or downgrade? Why would you say they were trying to "top" each other? Is an attorney supposed to say they're a paralegal so as not to offend? Was the Wal-Mart guy supposed to say he was a cashier? I work for a huge retail chain (not Wal-Mart). If I just say I work at x, I'm asked what I do. According to you, I'm a topper by clarifying what I do. Sorry, I worked hard, and I'm not going to downplay it when asked about my job.

 

Some people need to get over their inferiority complexes:rolleyes:

 

I think you miss the point. It is not what they do to earn a living or the details of their job, that was the issue. It is that they thought they were special because they worked so hard and they deserved so much more, etc. IMO they were just snooty. They got what was rightfully coming at them.

[Kurbanfan]

Just a heads up to all who think that the dress is bad on a cruise.

 

I have a secret.

 

Go to your local mall and see what the slobs wear there. Better yet go to your local community college or a four year university, though it is not quiet as bad there yet, same situation.

 

Ragged jeans are common. Too tight "T" shirts with inappropriate logos. Clothes that don't fit. Exposed midriffs. I can go on and on but you get my drift. Females dressing like they are on a street corner, and males looking like they are straight from the ghetto.

 

The bottom line is that a lot (not all there are some that have figured it out) people under the age of 30 have no idea how to dress. IMO it is because their parent were afraid to teach them for fear that some do gooder would turn them in as abusive parents. The end result is that the inmates are running the asylum.

 

It is not going to get better until society as a whole says enough is enough and a new generation is taught the right way to do things.

 

The slobs we saw last week on the Elation were well over 30:cool:

[Bruce&Pam]

We asked out son what he wanted for his 21st birthday, expecting him to ask for a trip to Vegas. To our surprise he wants a second cruise. His first was when he was 19 (that was his sister's 21st birthday cruise). At that time we rented him a tux so he would fit in with the rest of the family. We explained to him that Carnival pretty much lets anyone wear whatever that want nowadays, and asked him would he prefer a more casual "Elegant Evening" this time around? Again, to our surprise, he said he would like to have a tux, again. This from a 20 yo college kid. Apparently there is still hope for the next generation.

 

---Bruce

[Hei1980]

Why do Americans worry so much about what other people do? I did not spend thousands of hard earned dollars so I can worry about others and their choice of attire. I care very little about impressing others and less about them trying to impress me. If a woman wears a swimsuit or a man a ball cap in the dining room how does that affect my meal or the time with my family? Please be more concerned about yourself and how you raise your children. If you and your kids are obeying the rules that are set that is what important.QUOTE]

 

CruiseHealing; I understand what you are saying and I am always telling my DH, why should you care if people show up in t-shirts on a formal night? But it is a collapse of the traditional, elegant evening, that most of us enjoy.

It is the same with those four letter words, a nun could be walking by, and they would still spill out of those foul mouths. If only said nun had a ruler.

 

 

Not sure which country you come from; but our European friends pay more attention to the way they dress than most Americans, and are far more critical than we.

Not only Europeans but you should hear the people from Barbados poke fun of the way we dress. We used to go to a resort in Barbados with an open-air restaurant next to the pool, no way, no how, could you sit in that restaurant with your swim suit on. Even with a cover-up you would receive a scowl.

 

While we are at it; ask a flight attendant about the dressing down of the flying public, thinking about an upgrade, faggettaboutit. Or, go to a good store, dressed like a bum; guess the treatment you would receive. A nice restaurant, one look at your attire, you may end up near the kitchen door.

In all of these cases; it’s your money, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. And as Doctor Phil would say; “How is that working for you?”

 

Not much is being taught in the schools these days, certainly we are not getting our tax money worth. Starting in the first grade up to the sixth grade, instruct the children on how to live and thrive in this world; start with etiquette, table manners, speak, clothing (what is appropriate and when), day by day behavior. Then just maybe, the parents can learn from their children.

[sunnylasvegas]

Well, I am now beginning to understand who the young 20-30 yr old guys were in the dining room on the Elation in San Diego in Oct. Oh, they were the ones wearting the baseball caps--backward, of course---Taco Giant workshirt, Kwik E Mart workshirt, white tee-shirts, jeans. IWe called them the "gangsta tables." It's not just this age group, though, that appears to not understand dress code. At the Captain's Party, we saw a man about 40-50 wearing jeans and a sleeveless blue denim shirt---fringed!!

 

The jeans I don't have a problem with. It's all the other low-class kind of dress. The other night my 21-yr old niece came to a party wearing nice, new jeans, dressy black top, and pearls! She looked fantastic!

You can dress down and still dress up at times.

 

I'm very anxious to see how people dress on the Pride in March on its 14-day repositioning cruise from LA to Miami. I have a feeling that the

"gangsta tables" won't be joining us on this cruise.

 

Oh, one final thought. I am beginning to wonder if I even want to go on a ship that allows shoeless people in the formal dining room!

[hott_michelle2001]

I just got back from fantasy on the same date and we went out of new orleans. Same issue in our dining room. must be a carnival thing. we had people in jeans on formal night.

[G'ma]

Ever since striking oil, the Clampetts have started cruising.

 

Too bad someone somewhere didn't teach them a few social graces.....

[canuk15]

I just got back from fantasy on the same date and we went out of new orleans. Same issue in our dining room. must be a carnival thing. we had people in jeans on formal night.

 

Let the formal snobs have a floor all to myselves if thats what they want. Personally i will seat with the rest of the folks, cause i don't need to try to put on a show while i eat!